Homecoming
by JulieM
Summary: Harm gets the homecoming he's always dreamed of. Just a short piece I came up with, pretty much in the space of an hour. Rating is K, just to be safe, but I really don't think there's anything serious in it. COMPLETE!


FF: Homecoming

Spoilers: Season finale and perhaps the episode before this. Don't  
read any further, if you haven't seen these. Set some time in the  
future.

Summary: Harm gets the homecoming he's always dreamed of. Just a  
short piece I came up with, pretty much in the space of an hour.

Rating: Pretty much G. I may just rethink this in the future and  
extend it to a more adult rating.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: JAG and its main character belong to Don  
Bellisario, Bellisaruis Productions and to CBS. I don't make any  
money from my endeavors, but simply get to exercise my overactive  
imagination every now and then. Please don't sue me, as I'm fresh  
out of uni, with no job yet to speak of!

OOOO

"Goodnight, Sir."

I turn to acknowledge the junior officer who has accompanied me on  
this long and frustrating case, before saluting the officer on watch  
and making my way down the gangway.

The night air is crisp, deathly cold and silent, the air that slowly  
filters from my nostrils and mouth showing as frost. I silently muse  
how long it'll be before we see snow, lord knows the frost is already  
apparent, twinkling across the ground of the dockside. Over here,  
though, the general consensus is that it warms up slightly before the  
first snow of the season falls. Apparently (according to our  
neighbor) if it is too cold, the snow stays up in the clouds, unable  
to fall. It's funny, I never heard that one when I was living in DC  
and have never really noticed that kind of trend during our three  
winter seasons here in the UK. Who knows, maybe it's true, but I'm  
banking on it being an old wives tale.

Once I reach the base parking lot, it takes just a few minutes to get  
my car unlocked, because it's been sitting here for over two weeks  
while I've been gone. I'm thinking about going to find help, when  
the lock finally gives and the key twists. Giving another sigh, I  
reach inside and open up the glove compartment, extracting the  
windshield-scraper before setting to work.  
Once my windshield is clear and I've checked that I'll be able to see  
adequately using my mirrors, I fold myself in the small confined  
space. After fourteen days contained aboard a C-class carrier, the  
last thing I want is to be confined again, but the thought of my  
family at home overrides this feeling and I close the door, belt up  
and start the ignition. It takes a few tries, but eventually the  
engine turns over. Maybe it's just that I grew up using American  
cars, but give me a reliant SUV any day. These funny European cars  
don't seem to be up to the sometimes-harsh weather conditions here,  
like the cars at home.

On my journey home, I think over just how the court martial had gone,  
the previous week. One of the perks of this command position (apart  
from being a springboard to a future Judge Advocate General position)  
was that it meant I'd have to travel only infrequently. This had  
later turned out to be (in one way) a great plus, once the kids came  
along. However, despite this, I now find it harder to be away from  
the family, harder than I had ever thought possible before my  
marriage. And my wife, despite being a military reservist, finds my  
absences just as hard. All through my trip to the USS Coral Sea,  
we've had to survive on what a few fleeting, shared phone calls could  
bring. With others to think about now, phone calls are never really  
private and whenever we did manage any once the kids were asleep,  
there was always the fact that I was calling from the public phone  
aboard a carrier that got in the way of any intimacy. This has made  
my unexpected homecoming all the more welcome.

OOOO

After an hour and a half, I finally pull into our street and a quick  
look at the dashboard tells me that it is still only ten-thirty. We  
were due in well after mid-night and the journey home would have  
added even more time to that. Maybe somebody might still be up…

As I pull into the drive, a glance at the windows of the house dashes  
my hopes. The lights are all out, indicating that everybody will be  
in bed.  
Disappointment flares in my chest before it is quickly suppressed by  
my more mature side. I'm sure it's been a long week for them; before  
I went away, Kimmy was starting play-school, Matthew was going  
through a rough spot with colic and Mattie was applying to and  
attending university interviews. There will be plenty of time to  
spend with the family over the coming weekend. I've gone without it  
for fourteen days; another ten hours or so won't do me any harm.

I switch the ignition off and grab my sea-bag from the passenger seat  
before I exit and lock the car after me. The movement turns on the  
security light and I silently curse it, hoping that it doesn't shine  
into the main bedroom that looks out onto the front yard.

OOOO

Quietly opening the front door, I'm surprised to be greeted by my  
middle-child, in the darkness.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, little one! What are you doing up in the dark, all by  
yourself?"

"She's with me," a voice I recognize speaks up from the doorway of  
the kitchen.

Once my eyes adjust to the darkness inside the house, I pick out  
Mattie, standing holding two cups of water, one for herself and the  
other obviously for Kim, in a bright pink sippy-cup.

"She was here when I came down for a drink," Mattie explains, "I  
found her having a tea party under the dining table with her bears  
and dolls. Mom took her to bed with her, so I don't know how long  
she's been down here…"

Here, Kim cuts in to add, "Mommy went sleepy."

"She must have wandered back down," I muse, lifting the two-year old  
into my arms and giving her pajama-clad softness a cuddle. She has  
on the all-in-one, pink and purple striped, feet-included pair that  
Harriet and Bud gave her for Christmas and feels like a cuddly little  
old-style teddy bear in them.

After giving Mattie a one-armed hug too, I usher them both back  
upstairs.

"You want me to put her down?" Mattie asks.

"Have you been helping your Mom while I've been gone?" I ask her,  
ignoring the question.

"Of course," Mattie is a mixture of sleepy and indignant.

"Good girl," I stroke my hand over her bouncy curls, "I'm proud of  
you…I'll take care of Kimmy, you go and get some sleep."

"Kay," is all that Mattie answers, giving Kim the drink before  
disappearing up the stairs, to the third floor where her room is.

I turn left and down the hallway, then right and into the nursery.

By now, Kim has her head resting upon my shoulder, sleepily and I  
take the cup of water out of her relaxed hand.

"You ready for Daddy to tuck you in, bunny?" I ask and feel her nod  
against my shoulder.

She really must be tired if she's allowing this,' I think to myself,  
as I lower her in to her crib.

Once I have kissed her lightly on the forehead and brushed my fingers  
through her light, silky waves, I bid her goodnight, thinking all the  
while about those beautiful dark locks that are so much like her  
Mommy's.

Then I cross to the other side of the room, where a second cot is  
located. The wood of the cot creaks softly as I put my weight upon  
it, leaning in to gaze at my three-month-old son. He's grown, even  
in the time that I've been gone. It shouldn't surprise me, because  
even though he has blond hair and my blue eyes, he's got an appetite  
like his Momma.

"Good-night, buddy," I tell him, dropping a soft kiss into his light,  
smooth hair and patting him softly on his diapered rear-end, before I  
leave the room.

OOOO

"Hmm…" Mac stirs as I enter the room, "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I whisper to her, dropping my sea bag and proceeding  
to quietly strip down to my boxers.

"You're early," she rolls over, to face me where I am sitting on my  
side of the bed, noting, "It's only 2233. You're earlier than you  
said you'd be."

Nowadays I've given up on asking her how she does that.

"Yeah," I tell her, pulling back the sheets and sliding in, "we  
docked early."

"Good," Mac snuggles up to me and I wrap an arm around her, "I've  
missed you but..."

Whatever she was about to say is cut off by a wide yawn.

"But you're exhausted," I finish for her, tucking her head underneath  
my chin, hugging her and giving a deep sigh of contentment, "It's  
okay, honey. I am too. We'll get back to this once we've had some  
more sleep."

"Love you," Mac relaxes, closing her eyes.

"I love you, too," I tell her in return and settle down myself.

OOOO

We are awoken a good few hours later by Kim, who is tugging the  
covers around at Mac's side of the bed.

"Mommy," she reports, not taking the trouble to keep her voice  
down, "Mommy, wake up..."

"What is it, Kimmy?" I ask her, from where I lie, on the other side  
of Mac.

"Bad dreams, Daddy," she tells me, tremulously, as Mac lifts her onto  
the bed, in between us.

"Bad dreams?" Mac sighs, "my poor little bunny…There's no need to be  
scared, now. Mommy and Daddy are here. How about we make it all  
better, huh?"

Mac unbuttons her nightshirt as I help settle Kim down beside her,  
propping her head up on one of the throw cushions I've grabbed from  
beside the bed. Kim readily settles beside Mac, and with some gentle  
guidance latches on as I rub her back, softly. Even though Kim is  
already two and now attends nursery, every now and then events  
dictate that she'll request a breast-feed, mostly for comfort. Mac  
doesn't mind, she gets just as much from it as Kim does…and I guess I  
do, too. I cuddle in behind Kim and stroke her hair as Mac and I get  
a few welcome home' kisses in. Even though I detest being sent  
away on investigation, I must say that I couldn't possibly do without  
the fantastic welcome home that I get in return.

FIN


End file.
